Serie A witnessed the tightest, most dramatic title race in European soccer last season. Championships were handed out early in the Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Premier League, but this certainly wasn’t the case in Italy’s top flight where several teams were separated by only a few points all season long.
AC Milan ultimately finished top of the pile by a mere two points, as the Rossoneri won their first Scudetto in over a decade. Stefano Pioli’s team had to work for their title – Inter and Napoli both had a genuine chance of getting their hands on the trophy, while Juventus was also a factor towards the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
This season could be just as compelling. AC Milan have focused on strengthening their attack over the summer with Belgian talent Charles de Ketelaere added to the squad from Club Brugge and Divock Origi signed as a free agent following his exit from Liverpool at the end of last season. Origi in particular could be an important figure as Zlatan Ibrahimovic continues his recovery from surgery.
Franck Kessie left the San Siro as a free agent to sign for Barcelona, and Pioli needs to find a solution in the centre of the pitch, but AC Milan have developed a habit for finding value in the transfer market where other clubs can’t. Sassuolo’s Davide Frattesi has been linked with a switch to the Italian champions.
Inter have retooled since the end of last season in hopes of replicating their success from the 2020-21 campaign when the side lifted the league trophy by a run-away 12 points. Romelu Lukaku has returned to the club where he found his brightest form two years prior. The striker struggled to find his feet after a £98m transfer to Chelsea, but is expected to give Simone Inzaghi a sharper cutting edge in front of goal. The Belgian will play alongside Lautaro Martinez again – the pair scored 41 Serie A goals between them in the 2020/21 season.
Andre Onana has arrived from Ajax while Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been signed from Roma to give Inter more depth in the attacking positions. On top of this, the Nerazzurri have kept hold of their best players including Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolo Barella and Milan Skriniar, all of whom have been linked with a move away from the San Siro club this summer.
Napoli, on the other hand, will likely struggle to challenge for the title this season after losing a number of important players. Most notably, Kalidou Koulibaly was sold to Chelsea after an eight-year stint with the club that saw the Senegal international earn a reputation as one of the best central defenders in Europe. Napoli will miss him at the back this season.
They will also miss Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens, who both left Napoli at the end of last season. Luciano Spalletti’s team made real progress in the 2021-22 campaign and sat at the top of the Serie A table for much of the season, but it will be difficult for Napoli to build on this given the level of turnover in the squad this summer.
Most expect Juventus to return stronger this season after a disappointing 4th place finish by a distant 16 points. The Bianconeri have welcomed Paul Pogba back to Turin six years after he left for Manchester United, while Gleison Bremer has joined from Torino. Angel di Maria’s arrival has given Max Allegri another option in midfield and attack, although this is offset against the loss of Paulo Dybala.
Flip Kostic is expected to join from Eintracht Frankfurt to provide Dusan Vlahovic with a supply line down the wing while Denis Zakaria should be more comfortable in the midfield unit following his January transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach. And yet some of Juve’s pre-season performances, like the 4-0 loss to Atletico Madrid, have raised concern.
Dybala left Juventus to sign for Roma in arguably the most notable transfer of the summer in Serie A. The Argentine has only signed an initial one-year contract at the Stadio Olimpico, hinting that he will need to see significant progress from the Giallorossi to commit his long-term future to the club, but Jose Mourinho could get the best out of him.
Georginio Wijnaldum has also joined Roma after failing to make much of an impression at Paris Saint-Germain. The Dutch midfielder is an upgrade on what Mourinho had within his squad and should give Roma greater drive and energy through the middle of the pitch. A top four finish is the aim.
Atalanta and Lazio also have the quality to achieve results near the top of Serie A this season in what could be once again the tightest, most exciting league of all the ‘Big Five’ divisions in European soccer this term. Last season might not be bettered for drama, but it might hint at similar exhilaration to come.
